Automatic fire extinguishing valve for oil wells



J. RAoU 1,886,737

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING VALVE FOR OIL WELLS Nov. s, 1932.

Filed May 9, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 8, 1932. J. RAOU 1,886,737

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING VALVE FOR OIL WELLS Filed May 9, .1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 8, 1932 UNITED STATES JUAN RAOU, F BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING VALVE FOR OIL WELT-.S

Application led May 9, 1929, Serial No. 361,813, and in Argentina March 4, 1929.

sectional view of a well head constructionV provided with the automatic closing 'device l or valve of my invention; Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of the valve itself at right angles to Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic View of the apparatus complete and its connections.

In the said figures, A, B, C, and D, are the multiple casing heads; 12 gas chambers; 18 gas outlets; 14 curves from outlets 13; 15 ring plugs; and 16, 17, 18, and 19 the casing tubes. All these parts correspond to the gen- 5 eral Well-head structure, and having nothing to do with the present invention, which` is limited to the structure of the valve proper and the means for its automatic closure.

Referring now to the valve mechanism proper, and with special reference to Figures 1 and 2; 1 is the valve body; 2 the valve stem; 3 a nut on said stem for the purpose of starting the opening of the valve when stuck in the closed position, l a gate valve or closing 5 part proper, 5 and 6 the end and side elements respectively of the valve frame, the former being slidable upon the latter, '7 counter- Weight cables; 8 counterweights; 9 the counterweight cable pulleys; 10 a plug for closing a cleaned out opening-21 a tension cable for holding the valve in its open position; 22 a fusible metal connection in said cable, which for brevity will be hereinafter called the ruptor, and 24 a passageway for the cable 21. In the diagrammatic view of Fig. 3 the letter F represents the entire well head, J the space, which maybe subterranean, containing the gas escape connections, T the earth or masonry at the mouth of the well, and K a concrete platform for the well head.

As will be seen, the closing valve is held in its open position by the cable 21, in which there is inserted a fusible part or ruptor 22 which may be made of brass pieces soldered with bismuth, or of any other adequate fusiblematerial, to fuse at the flashing temperature of petroleum, a small portion of which will always be present in the hollow part of the platform K immediately belowk the ruptor 22, as seen in Fig. 3.

When this rupture occurs the slide valve mechanism is released, and immediately closed by the action of the counterweights 8, thus extinguishing the fire before it reaches a very high temperature. It is recommended that the ruptor alloy be such as to fuse aty about 60 degrees centigrade.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent of the United States is:

A fire extinguishing device for oil well heads, comprising a slide valve, al seating for the same, a cable disposed so as to hold the said valve in its open position, a fusible part in said holding cable, and a counterweight attached to a cable running over a pulley and attached to said valve to close said valve when released by the rupture of the holding cable caused by the fusing of the said fusible part at a predetermined temperature, sub- 30 stantially as described.

Signed at Buenos Aires aforesaid, this third day of April A. D. 1929.

JUAN RAOU. 

